Schools In Kent County Receive Bomb Threats

CHESTERTOWN, Md. (WJZ)—A handwritten note threatens to blow up more than 2,000 students on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Now bomb sniffing dogs are scouring every school in Kent County.

Weijia Jiang has the latest from concerned parents and students.

Police call it one of, if not the biggest, threat to ever target Maryland schools.

A single handwritten note sent parents across Kent County into a panic.

“Just before 8 o’clock this morning, two teachers of the Kent County Middle School found a note on the side door of the school. The note said that there was a bomb, not only at that school but at the other Kent County schools, that would detonate today,” said Greg Shipley, Maryland State Police.

Around 8 a.m. Tuesday, the seven public schools and three private schools in the county were all evacuated as bomb detectives and canine teams searched each one.

“I was standing in the freezing cold, and we had to stay out there for a long time,” said Brynn Jachimowicz, elementary school student.

“As soon as we got off the bus we had to walk to our track and we had to go all the way back. Everyone was calling their parents. It was really hectic,” said Eugene Childs, middle school student.

The news spread fast through Chestertown.

Jane Wiggins said she was taken over by a new found fear for her seven grandchildren’s lives.

“That’s crazy,” Wiggins said. “Why threaten the children? It used to be the only thing you had to worry about was getting a bad mark. Now you gotta worry for your life when you go to school. You don’t know what’s gonna happen next.”

It took dozens of officers from across the state from as far as Prince George’s County to inspect the schools. By late afternoon each one had been cleared with no traces of a bomb at any of them.

Still parents say they can’t shake thoughts of the worst.

“My kids go to that school every day,” said Danielle Clemente, parent. “I have two kids in school. Can I even send them to the school?”

Police are going through surveillance video to try to find out who is responsible for the note.

Making a threat is a felony and could send someone to prison for 10 years.

If this was a child playing a prank, he or she will face juvenile charges.

All after school activities in Kent County are canceled for the night.